How to Join

Thank you for your interest in joining the Civil Air Patrol! You are taking the first step in joining an organization of over 60,000 Citizens Serving Communities.

Step 1: Visit us

Come to a meeting! We meet every Monday evening (except Federal holidays) at 7:30pm. Our squadron base is at 2490 Cunningham Avenue, next to the Reid-Hillview Airport Terminal. When you come down Cunningham from Capitol, follow the curve to the left, and the building will be on your right, just before the gate. Park in the area to the left just before the dip, adjacent to the baseball field. Do not park in the larger lot abutting the airport fence without a permit; it is actively patrolled by the San Jose Police Department, and you may be cited and/or towed.

We highly recommend three separate visits (not necessarily consecutive) for you to get more of a feel for what we do, and a meeting with our squadron staff (usually at your second meeting) so we can find out what you would like to do in CAP, and how we can best work together.

Step 2: Apply

After your second of three orientation meetings, you will be given a CAP Form 12 to fill out, and an FD-258 fingerprint card to take to an agency that offers fingerprinting. (Note: Livescan is not accepted for this procedure; the FD-258 that is given to you at the squadron base must be used.) Check with your local police department or sheriff’s office for fingerprinting locations and schedules.

Once your application package is complete, mail it and your dues payment to the address on National Headquarters’ page. Once received and processed, you will receive an email with your CAP ID, and a link to log in, upload a photo for your member card, and begin your training. You will receive a separate email from California Wing regarding your new email account.

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